Collections Access

Collections at the Biodiversity Institute are available for study by qualified researchers from academic institutions, museums and other organizations. Please see the individual collection policies of Biodiversity Institute research divisions for specific information regarding collection loans.

Specimens are housed in several facilities at the University of Kansas. Ethanol-based collections are housed in a state-of-the-art fluid collection facility, which opened in 1996. The facility has 2,400 sq ft of collection storage space on four floors. The collection storage environment is maintained at 65°F year-round. Specimens are protected by an overhead sprinkler system, an HVAC system with 100% air make-up, and UV-shielded lighting.

Many specimens are housed in high-density compactors on both the main campus and west campus. In addition, Dyche Hall has a nitrogen-based tissue storage facility.

Research scientists searching for particular specimens can access our databases via the Specify portals of individual departments and through outside database providers.

Collections

The Biodiversity Institute collections include 9 million specimens of plants, animals and fossils collected worldwide and 1.2 million archaeological artifacts.

For more than 140 years, KU scientists and students have collected and studied life on Earth. Our specimens of plants and animals — prehistoric to living species, microscopic to colossal — have been gathered from every continent and ocean. Our archaeological artifacts document the past cultures of the Great Plains. Biodiversity Institute collections include DNA samples, sound recordings, images, tissues, skeletons and field notes. With powerful tools of information technology, we harness the data associated with our collections to forecast critical environmental events, such as the spread of diseases, invasive species and agricultural pests, and the effects of climate change.

Libraries of Life

The word "collection" conjures images of bric-a-brac, postage stamps and antique coins. But when the objects are once-living things — preserved bodies of mammals, fish, birds, insects, plants and fossils — and they number almost 9 million, "collection" takes on a different meaning.READ MORE

Featured collection: Entomology

The entomology collection includes almost 5 million specimens of insects from all over the world. Strengths include bees, beetles and termites.LEARN MORE

Collection Tours

The KU Natural History Museum offers periodic behind-the-scenes tours, led by research scientists. Upcoming tours are listed on the museum events calendar.EVENTS CALENDAR